ON THE POETRY OF ANTONI MALCZEWSKI AND JULIUSZ SŁOWACKI “FROM THE NIGHT DUMAS OF THE UKRAINIAN STEPPES AND RAVINES”

Abstract

Antoni Malczewski, the author of the first poetic tale Maria, considered by many scholars to be an unparalleled masterpiece, is often regarded as the most prominent representative of the so-called “Ukrainian school” of Polish poetry. He was born either in the village of Knyahynyn in Volhynia or in Warsaw, and studied at the Kremenets Lyceum.

Juliusz Słowacki, a great Polish Romantic poet, born sixteen years later in Kremenets and also educated at the same renowned institution, most likely read Malczewski’s Ukrainian poetic tale Maria, which may have influenced his own literary creativity. In his youth, during prayer in the Catholic church, he asked God not for earthly goods but for recognition after death.

Both Malczewski and, years later, Słowacki shared the fate of travellers far from their homeland. The young Antoni experienced military service, romantic intrigues –sometimes leading nearly to duels – episodes in Warsaw salons, a European journey “in pursuit of a lady of the heart”, and even an ascent of Mont Blanc. The last two years of his life were marked by physical and spiritual suffering. Withdrawn from society, he lived in Warsaw with his extramarital partner Zofia, working on his poetic tale Maria (1825).

It is unlikely that the appearance of Słowacki’s work Dumka ukraińska in 1826, in which he positioned himself as a follower of the “Ukrainian school”, was accidental. He was almost certainly acquainted with Maria. Shortly afterwards, his Song of a Cossack Girl and other works appeared. Among Słowacki’s early writings with Ukrainian themes is also the poem Żmija, described by the author as a “verse tale in six songs based on Ukrainian legends.”

For a contemporary reader, this text may seem unexpected. Its protagonist, a Zaporizhian hetman who led Cossacks into campaigns, is depicted as cruel and treacherous, even toward his own troops. Justice ultimately triumphs, and a tragic end befalls him. This image may surprise the modern Ukrainian reader, for whom Cossack history represents integrity and patriotism. While Cossack leaders often fought for power, they did not turn against their people. Thus, the poem is perceived as a legend-allegory. The gloomy image of the hetman was created by the poet’s vivid imagination, though figures with such traits may have existed in certain historical contexts. Słowacki’s remarkable intuition allowed him to sense this. Therefore, the analysis should also focus on how these eminent poets depicted the shared struggles of Cossacks and Polish warriors against invaders, as well as the wild steppe, Cossacks, and the dramatic events of their common history.